Saturday, June 23, 2018
Staff/wire report
DETROIT
General Motors plans to bring back its Chevrolet Blazer and build the SUV in Mexico, according to media reports.
The new Blazer, set to go on sale early next year, will be a midsize SUV, reports said. It will be assembled at a GM plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.
Media reports noted the decision to build the vehicle in Mexico could put GM at odds with the Trump administration, which has pushed for automakers to build in the U.S.
The decision also drew criticism from the United Auto Workers union.
The news comes as approximately 1,500 workers in the Mahoning Valley are being impacted by cutbacks at the GM Lordstown Assembly Complex, which builds the compact Chevrolet Cruze.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Cleveland Democrat, spoke out against the decision and noted the Lords-town layoffs.
“GM’s timing on this outrageous decision could not have been worse,” he said in a statement. “On the same day GM is laying off workers in Youngstown, the company is bypassing American workers and sending more jobs to Mexico. GM should reverse this irresponsible decision, and use its tax windfall to invest in American workers.”
The statement from Brown noted GM benefited from the national tax reform Republicans implemented earlier this year.
Brown’s office said GM was “able to bring their $6.9 billion in overseas cash back to the U.S. at less than half of the tax rate the corporation would formerly have paid and immediately deduct the cost of any new investments in plant and equipment.
“Despite these tax cuts and the company’s record revenues as reported in their 2016 SEC filing, GM is still moving forward with these layoffs,” Brown added.